Maurice Loewy
Encyclopedia
Maurice Loewy (April 15, 1833 – October 15, 1907) was a French
astronomer
.
Born in Mariánské Lázne
, in what is now the Czech Republic
, Loewy's Jewish parents moved to Vienna
in 1841 to escape the antisemitism of their home town. Loewy became an assistant at the Vienna Observatory
, working on celestial mechanics
. However, the institutions of Austria-Hungary
did not permit a Jew to advance to a senior position without renouncing his faith and embracing Catholicism
. The director of the observatory Karl L. Littrow
was a correspondent of Urbain Le Verrier, director of the Paris Observatory
and he secured a position there for Loewy in 1860. After going to France, Loewy become a naturalised French citizen.
He worked on the orbit
s of asteroid
s and comet
s and on the measurement of longitude
, improving the accuracy of the Connaissance des Temps
. He also worked on optics
and the elimination of the aberration of light
.
He was elected a member of the Bureau des Longitudes
in 1872 and of the Académie des Sciences in 1873.
Loewy became director of the Paris Observatory in 1896, reorganising the institution and establishing a department of physical astronomy. He further spent a decade working with Pierre Puiseux
on an atlas of the Moon
composed of 10,000 photographs, L’Atlas photographique de la Lune (1910), the definitive basis for lunar geography for over half a century. The crater Loewy
on the Moon
is named after him and asteroid 253 Mathilde
is believed to be named after his wife.
He died in Paris
at a government meeting of a sudden and unanticipated cardiac arrest
.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
astronomer
Astronomer
An astronomer is a scientist who studies celestial bodies such as planets, stars and galaxies.Historically, astronomy was more concerned with the classification and description of phenomena in the sky, while astrophysics attempted to explain these phenomena and the differences between them using...
.
Born in Mariánské Lázne
Mariánské Lázne
Mariánské Lázně is a spa town in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic. The town, surrounded by green mountains, is a mosaic of parks and noble houses...
, in what is now the Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
, Loewy's Jewish parents moved to Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
in 1841 to escape the antisemitism of their home town. Loewy became an assistant at the Vienna Observatory
Vienna Observatory
Universitäts-Sternwarte Wien is an astronomical observatory in Vienna, Austria. It is part of the University of Vienna. The first observatory was built in 1753–1754 on the roof of one of the university buildings....
, working on celestial mechanics
Celestial mechanics
Celestial mechanics is the branch of astronomy that deals with the motions of celestial objects. The field applies principles of physics, historically classical mechanics, to astronomical objects such as stars and planets to produce ephemeris data. Orbital mechanics is a subfield which focuses on...
. However, the institutions of Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...
did not permit a Jew to advance to a senior position without renouncing his faith and embracing Catholicism
Catholicism
Catholicism is a broad term for the body of the Catholic faith, its theologies and doctrines, its liturgical, ethical, spiritual, and behavioral characteristics, as well as a religious people as a whole....
. The director of the observatory Karl L. Littrow
Karl L. Littrow
Karl Ludwig Edler von Littrow was an Austrian astronomer.Born in Kazan, Russian Empire, son of Joseph Johann Littrow. He succeeded his father as director of the Vienna Observatory...
was a correspondent of Urbain Le Verrier, director of the Paris Observatory
Paris Observatory
The Paris Observatory is the foremost astronomical observatory of France, and one of the largest astronomical centres in the world...
and he secured a position there for Loewy in 1860. After going to France, Loewy become a naturalised French citizen.
He worked on the orbit
Orbit
In physics, an orbit is the gravitationally curved path of an object around a point in space, for example the orbit of a planet around the center of a star system, such as the Solar System...
s of asteroid
Asteroid
Asteroids are a class of small Solar System bodies in orbit around the Sun. They have also been called planetoids, especially the larger ones...
s and comet
Comet
A comet is an icy small Solar System body that, when close enough to the Sun, displays a visible coma and sometimes also a tail. These phenomena are both due to the effects of solar radiation and the solar wind upon the nucleus of the comet...
s and on the measurement of longitude
Longitude
Longitude is a geographic coordinate that specifies the east-west position of a point on the Earth's surface. It is an angular measurement, usually expressed in degrees, minutes and seconds, and denoted by the Greek letter lambda ....
, improving the accuracy of the Connaissance des Temps
Connaissance des Temps
The Connaissance des temps is an official astronomical yearly publication in France.- History :Connaissance des temps is the oldest such publication in the world, published without interruption since 1679 , after the astronomer Jean Picard obtained from the King the right to create the journal...
. He also worked on optics
Optics
Optics is the branch of physics which involves the behavior and properties of light, including its interactions with matter and the construction of instruments that use or detect it. Optics usually describes the behavior of visible, ultraviolet, and infrared light...
and the elimination of the aberration of light
Aberration of light
The aberration of light is an astronomical phenomenon which produces an apparent motion of celestial objects about their real locations...
.
He was elected a member of the Bureau des Longitudes
Bureau des Longitudes
The Bureau des Longitudes is a French scientific institution, founded by decree of 25 June 1795 and charged with the improvement of nautical navigation, standardisation of time-keeping, geodesy and astronomical observation. During the 19th century, it was responsible for synchronizing clocks...
in 1872 and of the Académie des Sciences in 1873.
Loewy became director of the Paris Observatory in 1896, reorganising the institution and establishing a department of physical astronomy. He further spent a decade working with Pierre Puiseux
Pierre Puiseux
Pierre Henri Puiseux was a French astronomer.Born in Paris, son of Victor Puiseux, he was educated at the Ecole Normale Supérieure before starting work as an astronomer at the Paris Observatory in 1885....
on an atlas of the Moon
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...
composed of 10,000 photographs, L’Atlas photographique de la Lune (1910), the definitive basis for lunar geography for over half a century. The crater Loewy
Loewy (crater)
Loewy is a small lunar crater that lies along the eastern rim of Mare Humorum, in the southwest part of the Moon's near side. This is a lava-flooded formation that lies to the southwest of the larger, lava-flooded crater Agatharchides...
on the Moon
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...
is named after him and asteroid 253 Mathilde
253 Mathilde
253 Mathilde is a main-belt asteroid about 50 km in diameter that was discovered by Johann Palisa in 1885. It has a relatively elliptical orbit that requires more than four years to circle the Sun. This asteroid has an unusually slow rate of rotation, requiring 17.4 days to complete a...
is believed to be named after his wife.
He died in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
at a government meeting of a sudden and unanticipated cardiac arrest
Cardiac arrest
Cardiac arrest, is the cessation of normal circulation of the blood due to failure of the heart to contract effectively...
.